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The Value of Nongovernmental Free Vocational SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Capstone Collection SIT Graduate Institute Spring 5-2013 The alueV of Nongovernmental Free Vocational Training in Vietnam; The Opportunities and Barriers in Teaching Japanese Cooking Skills to Disadvantaged Vietnamese Youth Koji Asada SIT Graduate Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones Part of the Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Human Resources Management Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons, Labor Relations Commons, Marketing Commons, Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, and the Other Education Commons Recommended Citation Asada, Koji, "The alueV of Nongovernmental Free Vocational Training in Vietnam; The Opportunities and Barriers in Teaching Japanese Cooking Skills to Disadvantaged Vietnamese Youth" (2013). Capstone Collection. 2597. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/2597 This Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Graduate Institute at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE VALUE OF NONGOVERNMENTAL FREE VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN VIETNAM; THE OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS IN TEACHING JAPANESE COOKING SKILLS TO DISADVANTAGED VIETNAMESE YOUTH Koji Asada PIM 68 A Capstone Paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Management at the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. May 2013 Advisor: John Vogelsang Copyright Page The author grants the SIT Graduate Institute permission to reproduce and distribute this paper, in whole or in part, in either electronic or in print format. Author’s Signature _______________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2 Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 6 Vocational training for developing countries ........................................................... 6 Vocational training in Vietnam ................................................................................ 7 Nongovernmental free vocational training in Vietnam ........................................... 8 The focus of this research ........................................................................................ 11 Research/Practitioner Inquiry Design .................................................................................... 13 Limitations ............................................................................................................... 15 Presentation and Analysis of Data ......................................................................................... 17 Research findings .................................................................................................... 17 Analysis ................................................................................................................... 19 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 33 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 33 Practical applicability .............................................................................................. 34 Recommendations for further research.................................................................... 35 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 37 List of Tables & Figures Table 1. Main Questions for in depth interviews Table 2: Background of 5 Vietnamese chefs Table 3: Characteristics of 5 Japanese restaurants Table 4: 50 Student candidate’s background Table 5: Training models of Hoa Sua School and KOTO Table 6: Opportunities for Japanese Restaurant Owners Table 7: Barriers for Japanese Restaurant Owners Figure 1: The number of new Japanese restaurants opened in Hanoi city List of Abbreviations JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency MOLISA: Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs ODA: Official Development Assistance VDF: Vietnam Development Forum VET: Vocational Education and Training VNCI: Vietnam Competitiveness Initiative WTO: World Trade Organization ABSTRACT Nongovernmental free vocational training for disadvantaged youth has been provided by various organizations in the world and has had a positive impact on the learners. This is also true in Vietnam. However, how is the training geared to employment opportunities, designed to overcome challenges to learning and employment, and with what potential impact on the learners and communities. These questions have not been well answered. This study examines the value of nongovernmental free vocational training in Hanoi city, Vietnam, which is in the middle of rapid economic development. Specifically, this study researched the future prospects of skill training in Japanese cooking by assessing the opportunities and barriers in teaching Japanese cooking skills to disadvantaged youth. The need of these skills is growing rapidly as there are 120 Japanese restaurants in Hanoi alone. This study highlights the growing need for skilled Japanese cooking chefs and the enormous potential to teach the skills to disadvantaged youth. 1 INTRODUCTION Along with Vietnam’s rapid economic growth, the Vietnamese government regards vocational and educational training for youth as an important and urgent issue for further development. For example, the national budget for education and training was VND15.6 trillion (USD742 million) in 2001 and increased to VND104.77 (USD5 billion) in 2010. Further more, as a current example, the Vietnamese government decided to spend VND26 trillion (USD1.23 billion) for a project to provide vocational training for young people in rural areas from 2010 until 2020. The aims are to generate jobs for at least 600,000 young people annually, offer job consultation for 80% of young people, and reduce the unemployment rate for young people. The concern for economic development has contributed to the Vietnamese government’s policy shifting from strengthening primary education to expanding vocational training, especially in remote areas. These national training programs are mainly targeting the fields with large populations such as agriculture and industrial techniques. Although the more economic development proceeds, it becomes more important to offer skills training in the service sector like cooking. However, the government has not focused on service sector skills because they vary widely and each of the markets is very small at the present. However, the service sector is currently the 2 highest growth rate industry in Vietnam and various jobs are being created. In addition, since the market has not yet reached maturity, there are many opportunities for people with solid and reliable skills. I worked as a rural development volunteer 7 years ago. During my two-year assignment in one of the poorest rural areas in Vietnam, I encountered a lot of disadvantaged families who were not benefiting from the economic growth in the cities. Most of them are landless peasants, barely making a living working for local land owners for a minimum wage. Their children had to work as farmers because of their family’s economic difficulties even though they had the ability to pursue a college education. I started a bee keeping training project cooperating with local farmers and experts for income generation for poor families and stimulation of the local economy. However, the project was discontinued after I left Vietnam without ensuring the farmers’ income or improving their living standards because of my not designing a business plan for the project. This experience made me realize the limitation of my ability as a volunteer with limited time and budget and the challenges of an aid development project in a remote area. Upon reflection I realized I should have connected the project with the business sector in the cities. The Vietnamese economy is rapidly growing and it will be a middle income country soon. I believe, at this moment, it is necessary for Vietnam to 3 implement development projects in rural areas by taking advantage of economic growth in the cities. Based on this perspective, vocational training in the service sector is urgently necessary and highly promising. The Japanese restaurant market is growing and needs skilled Japanese chefs. I have looked closely at this field in the three years I have been working as an expatriate at a Japanese NGO in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city. The NGO is planning to start a free vocational training skills project for poor youth in rural areas and support them to work in the city. If young people from disadvantaged situations are well-trained in Japanese cooking skills and work as chefs in Japanese restaurants, the project would have a positive impact on their lives and offer an opportunity for them to improve their living standard sustainably. The purpose of this study
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